A Web of Miss-Representation

A Content Analysis of Spider-Man and his Love Interests Regarding Gender-roles, Stereotypes, and Power Dynamics

Abstract

This study is a mixed-method content analysis of eight Spider-Man live action movies, looking at six female love interests (including Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy, Liz Allan, and MJ Watson) over the course of the movie franchise. To accomplish this task, all incidents where the love-interest was on screen and all incidents where Spider-Man/Peter Parker was on screen with the love-interest were examined. This study indicated that despite an overall increase in contemporary gender roles, decrease in traditional stereotypes, and subordinate depictions of love interests, dominant depictions did not increase over time. Furthermore, when the love interests exhibited more traditional femininity, it made them more appealing to Spider-Man. Taken as a whole, this means that though depictions of women in superhero media may have progressed to the point where women can take on the characteristics of the ‘contemporary women,’ the media may not have progressed to that same extent for male/female power relationships, with women being equal most of the time, subordinate some of the time, and dominant none of the time. Thus, depictions of women in media still are influenced by patriarchal structures (though lessened) as they have throughout the history of film.